Felix was surprised as well. He knew that something was off about the people who came out to riot. The people of Wisteria never rioted against their king, no matter what was happening. Yet he had advised Calhoun to come out and see them. He began to rethink his decision to take the position of the king's right-hand man.
"Nonsense," Calhoun muttered. "It's your place and you must remain there."
Felix nodded slowly, although he was still a little afraid of the outcome of the war that was about to break out.
"Is Yara so much of a fool that he can't also keep his word? It's not the full moon yet and he has come to war." Calhoun announced. "Go back and tell him that I, Calhoun Montego, dared him to fight me face to face if he is wolf enough."
Felix gasped. As much as Calhoun was going to win in the end, Yara was going to be a tough enemy to handle. He failed to see the wisdom in Calhoun's confrontation.
"My lord, I don't think that is a good idea," Felix said, stuttering. "Perhaps we should just chase them away."
Calhoun smirked. "Two can play this game, Felix. Bring me my army."
Felix shuddered. He turned around to bring the army of Werewolves to meet Calhoun. Although he was the beta, he was still very much logical when it came to battles. He would rather be called a weakling but still had his head intact and can fight again than try and win and then die in the process. A stark contrast to Calhoun who would rather die to win, than live to be called a weakling or a coward.
The soldiers marched to the castle grounds and formed a block of twelve rows and fifteen columns. Calhoun smirked at the imposters who were so confident that they could take down a few wolves.
"Soldiers! Teach them a lesson." Calhoun ordered. "Just one lesson."
Before their very eyes, Calhoun's soldiers began to grow bigger. They weren't changing yet, they just somehow happened to increase their sizes in their human forms. Yara and Rahu did not say anything about it to them.
They began to back off. "King Calhoun, the battle is not for now!"
"Wait till the appointed time." Another shouted.
"This... This is not a battle." Calhoun chuckled. "At least not yet."
"Then what is this?"
"This is the punishment for trespassing my territory and killing my people!" Calhoun stated. "Soldiers, not one must survive!"
There was a roar and the army of soldiers began to close in on the men of the blood pack. Those began to run away. Calhoun didn't order for the gates to be closed, he allowed his soldiers to pursue them to their kingdom and make sure that they wounded the majority of them during the chase.
He chuckled. He began to call them with his mind. After a few minutes, his soldiers returned to him. They were half-transformed and they looked very scary. It made Calhoun happy and proud.
"Very good." He commended. "Now return to your base. Wait for the next call."
The warriors marched back to their base. Calhoun kept the smile that formed on his face. He was happy.
At least if they told Yara about it, his reaction was going to be either of these two; to get angered and act rashly, attack them immediately, or delay the battle further to give his own army time to prepare.
Either way, he was very prepared for them.
Either option was going to favor him. He wanted Yara to do the first. He had been bored and all these mock battles that came up had just made him hunger for blood spill.
"Ah, Felix!" Calhoun exclaimed. "I can't help it! Call George! Bring me, prisoners! I need blood!"
Felix was shocked. Calhoun had never really requested blood openly, before his guards.
"My lord, you ought to calm down!"
Calhoun roared, his eyes glowed. "Blood!" He exclaimed again.
George quickly took some guards with him to the dungeon and brought the prisoners there. He brought about fifty of them who had been tried and awaited judgment for years already.
Calhoun saw them and he smirked, bringing his jagged teeth into view.
"Come on, line up." He cajoled. "Today, I will end your torture, I will end your miserable life."
They all stuck to the ground. Should dying sound so nice? They didn't want to be killed by Calhoun. Maybe beheaded or anything else, but not by the king himself.
"Don't make me repeat myself!" Calhoun growled. George gave a sign to the two guards who were beside Calhoun and they came toward him. He pointed to the first prisoner he had freed and they went and grabbed him, and brought him before Calhoun.
The man began to beg for his life, falling to his knees instantly.
Calhoun grabbed the man's head with one hand and his shoulder with another hand, and before the man could finish his pleas, he tore the head away from the shoulder.
The blood from the veins splattered across his face and stained his robe. He smirked.
"Next!"
The guards who brought the prisoners were afraid for their own lives and the only thing they could do was obey him.
They brought the next prisoner and as he was approaching, Calhoun dug his hand into the man's chest, took hold of his heart, and squashed it to mush. He took his blood-stained hand out from the holed chest and tasted the blood.
"Mm." He hummed in pleasure. "Next."
Within ten minutes of rage, Calhoun had cleared his dungeon. He wasn't calming down and with the way he went about it, Felix knew there was going to be a bloodbath in the castle. He turned to George.
"Any prisoners or offenders left?" Felix mouthed.
"Just Madeline," George said.
"Bring her. Perhaps she can snap him out of this rage." Felix said, shaking his head.
George shook his head. "Killing Madeline is tantamount to starting the war against Rahu and Yara."
"Of what good is she to us if Calhoun kills us first?" Felix refuted. "Bring the damn woman and let's hope her sharp mouth can save us."
George sighed. "What if it doesn't change anything?"
"Then we know that we are doomed," Felix replied. "By the way, where the hell is Evander?"
"Probably reclining in his ceiling chair, not feeling the rage of the king," George said with a tone dipped in sarcasm.
"Well, that won't help us now! Just go and fetch the damn woman."
George sighed and returned to the dungeon. Madeline saw him coming and she moved close to the bars.
"What's going on outside?" She asked softly.
George didn't answer her, he simply unlocked the bars and led her outside. Madeline was shivering in fright. What was going on? She had heard George come in severally to take prisoners out and they never returned. Each time he returned, he looked more and more gloomy. She knew something was going on outside and her guts told her it wasn't a good thing.
"George, talk to me!" Madeline demanded, her voice shaky enough to show her fear. "I don't want to die."
"I don't want you to die either," George murmured. "Your life depends on how well your words can affect Calhoun."
"What?" Madeline asked silently.
George sighed. "Everyone's life depends on how well your words will affect Calhoun, I am only doing my duty by bringing you to him, do your duty by saving your own life, and ours by extension."
Madeline was taken out and the first thing that came into her sight was Calhoun's appearance. She paused in her steps. George pushed her and she moved a little.
"Keep walking, don't rile him up all the more." He whispered to her. Madeline was afraid, it felt like walking to the devil himself, and his eyes shone like the flames of hell. What did she bring herself into? She shouldn't have done Rahu's bidding. Now, where was he when she was about to be slain by a walking demon in a werewolf costume?
"Ah..." Calhoun grunted. "You brought my favorite prisoner." He raised his rough palm to caress her chin. Madeline shifted back in fright and Calhoun's hand froze midair.
"Shall she also make me chase her?" Calhoun demanded. "The only time the lion will chase is when he has something to devour."
"Well too bad 'cause you're a wolf and not a lion," Madeline said softly. "What happened to you?"
Calhoun scowled at the softness in her voice. "I only want blood, Maddie. Can you give that to me?"
Madeline took her gaze away from his eyes, forcefully. It felt as if she was being compelled to keep looking into his eyes and while she stared she felt like he could control her to do whatever he wished.
"Calhoun, what happened to you?" She asked again. "What happens if your people see you like this?"
Calhoun chuckled. "If they can't stand it, I can help them sit." He said. "In a casket."
Madeline gulped silently. "And will you also do that to Diana?"
Calhoun snapped instantly and he growled at her, grabbing her neck with his hand, strangling her.
Madeline gagged and gasped for breath. She tried to stare at George to ask for help but she couldn't even get his figure. Calhoun's grip was so tight.
"Do you dare to call her name again?" He roared in her face. Madeline choked.
"I didn't mean it that way." She gasped. "What if she... Showed... Up...?"
Calhoun glared at her for a long time. Diana would be afraid of him. He smirked.
"Let's end the show quickly then shall we?" He asked, sneering at her.
"What show?" Madeline asked softly.
Calhoun released his grip on her neck and she took deep breaths. Next thing, he snapped their neck and tore her head off her body.
George gasped and Felix took two steps backward. Was this their cue to run?
"Clean this place up, George." He ordered, returning to his normal self. "You, come with me." He said, directing his gaze to Felix.
George stared at the dead body of Madeline and he felt a little pity for her. She did save their lives but she wasn't smart enough to evade his wrath. Perhaps she gave herself intentionally? He couldn't understand what had just happened.
Calhoun had taken five steps when he suddenly stopped. He turned to find George staring at Madeline's body.
"George, I want that body decapitated and delivered to Rahu. Hm, don't touch the head. I bet he needs something to recognize the body by." Calhoun said. "After that, inform Evander to pay his king a nice visit. With gifts."
George nodded. He wondered in his heart how Calhoun would just end so many lives in such brutal ways and still manage to ask for gifts. What kind of gifts did he want? Knives? Swords? A butcher man's axe? Daggers? Chopping board? Exactly what torturing tool did he need as a gift?
Oh wait, he wouldn't need one since he already has them all, and they all happened to be parts of his body! George took the dead woman to the training ground, placed it in a gift bag, and butchered the body, just like he had seen Calhoun do before. Once he was done, he placed the head on the heap of minced human meat and delivered it personally to Rahu's castle.
Rahu was in his seat, discussing with Yara the things his warriors claimed to have seen at Calhoun's castle. He wasn't going to call it bluff because he had witnessed something sly about Calhoun too and although he couldn't describe it, he somehow knew that Calhoun was more than just a werewolf.
"Sir, there is a package for you from Wisteria." A guard said, bowing deeply.
"Fetch it," Rahu said. The guard left and he turned to exchange looks with Yara. "You don't think it's an explosive?"
"Calhoun wouldn't be that petty," Yara said. The bag was brought before him and he asked the guard to open it.
The guard opened the bag and blood drained from Rahu's face as he saw what was in the bag. His own Madeline. Lifting his head to the sky, he let out a roar of mourn.
"Calhoun Montego, may I be cursed if I don't have your head rolling by the next full moon!" He swore venomously.
Calhoun was in his chamber, sipping his wine when he heard the distant growling. He chuckled.
"The rat has fallen into the trap." He murmured.
He didn't know what was coming for him.